Decommissioning set for fire-damaged USS Miami

KITTERY, Maine -- The U.S. Navy will hold a ceremony Friday to retire the fire-damaged USS Miami.

The decommissioning, a time-honored tradition in the Navy, is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. in the main auditorium at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

The Miami, commissioned as the Navy's 44th Los Angeles-class attack submarine June 30, 1990, was undergoing an upgrade at the shipyard May 23, 2012, when a civilian painter started a fire that caused about $400 million in damage to the $900 million vessel.

The Miami's first commanding officer — retired Capt. Thomas Mader — is scheduled to serve as the keynote speaker Friday. Rear Adm. Ken Perry, commander of Submarine Group 2, will be the guest speaker. Cmdr. Rolf Spelker, who assumed command of Miami Nov. 15, is also scheduled to speak.

According to a news release issued by the Navy, the event will be attended by the current crew of 111 officers and enlisted personnel — who will be reassigned to other units by December — and their families.

"The 11 commanding officers and hundreds of sailors who have manned the ship over the course of two decades carry forward her legacy of exceptional service," the news release states.

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Casey James Fury, who was 24 when he set the four-alarm blaze, was sentenced to more than 17 years in federal prison and ordered to pay $400 million in restitution, though prosecutors said it was unlikely that sum would ever be collected.

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